One-step functionalization of an ethylene/propylene random copolymer with two different reactive groups

The efficiency of a macromolecular compatibilizer for reactive blending is strongly dependent on its potentiality of producing a grafted or block copolymer during processing. For the preparation of such a compatibilizer, the grafting of two different reactive groups onto the backbones of ethylene/propylene copolymer macromolecules was performed. The ethylene/propylene (70/30) copolymer was then processed in a Brabender mixer at 190°C in the presence of a mixture of maleic anhydride and diethylmaleate with either dicumyl peroxide or di-tert-butyl peroxide as an initiator. The experiments clearly showed that the two functionalities, 2-diethyl succinate and 2-succinic anhydride, could be grafted in one step. The effect of the feed composition demonstrated that the two monomers influenced the reciprocal reactivity and the resulting product. A detailed Fourier transform infrared analysis of the grafted macromolecules was performed, and the respective amounts of ester and anhydride derived groups were detected by deconvolution of the vibrational bands in the carbonyl spectral region. The validity of the process on an industrial scale was tested by the successful performance of the reaction in a twin-screw extruder. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 14–23, 2003